THE RISE OF ASTRO TREKKING
WOULD YOU TRAVEL for A MONTH ACCORDING to YOUR STAR SIGN? RADHIKA SANGHANI DID just THAT
One writer travels the world according to her horoscope – with some very surprising results
Excuse me, am I near a farm?’ I was cycling up a hill in Byron Bay, Australia, in 35˚C heat, asking passers-by for directions. While most tourists go to the beaches to ride the waves, I spent an hour searching for fields – all because my astrologer told me to.
Eventually, the stars aligned, and I alighted at a sign that simply read: ‘The Farm’. As I turned off the main road, I came across a field of bright sunflowers. It was an unexpected haven of joy – especially when I found out the rusticlooking barn was a restaurant, and everything, from the slow-roasted beetroot to the harissa cauliflower, was fresh produce. I realised my astrologer had led me to a true Taurean paradise.
Growing up, I didn’t pay attention to my horoscope. I vaguely identified with the Taurean stereotype of being a stubborn foodlover but I was too much of a pragmatist to take it further. However, over the past few years, significant changes in my life, such as a break-up with my partner of four years, have meant I’ve become interested in astrology as a source of guidance. I’m not the only one; it’s more popular than ever.
When a friend recommended astrologer Francesca Oddie ( francescaoddie.com), I was at a turning point. I was nearly 3O, I had left my job at a national newspaper to write my third novel, a semi-autobiographical comedy about a girl on a journey of self-discovery. I didn’t even know what country I wanted to live in, and I was struggling to move on after my break-up. It was a new chapter.
I wasn’t entirely convinced about astrology but I was prepared to try anything in my search for clarity. And when Francesca turned the hour, date and location of my birth into an astral chart, that’s exactly what I got.
My chart showed I was basically all earth elements: overly opinionated, I grow through travel and I’m constantly turning ideas into passion projects. It was so eerily accurate that when Francesca mentioned that star charts can be used to plan trips (seriously, it’s a thing, called astro cartography), I decided to try it. I told Francesca about plans to stay with friends in Australia, and she advised me what parts of the country would be good for my personal, career and spiritual development.
None of my friends were free, so I was going to have to go alone – making it my firstever
big solo trip. It was daunting but, thanks to Francesca’s help, I was excited to get started. Within hours of our meeting, she’d emailed me a map of Australia covered in lines, each one marking a different experience. She was specific: if I went to Western Australia, Saturn would be in the ascendant, so I wouldn’t be able to express myself. If I headed to the Gold Coast, it would be the opposite, and more conducive to writing about my feelings (what I needed for the novel), while a trip to Queensland would allow me to ‘meet old and new acquaintances’. ‘East is much better,’ said Francesca. ‘Are you going to Cairns?’ I’d had no intention of going so far north, but when she said that I’d be able to ‘abandon old behaviour patterns’ there (such as being too controlled and unspontaneous), and ‘appear free and selfassured’, it convinced me. I booked my tickets to Sydney and planned the first half of the trip. Then, in a carefree mood that was completely at odds with my inner control freak, I decided to leave the final week free for whatever came up. I felt slightly foolish to ignore recommendations from friends, but it felt liberating to surrender to the stars. In Sydney, I walked to the Opera House, sat on the steps looking over Sydney Harbour Bridge, then set off on the famous 6km coastal hike from Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach. It was beautiful: the sea was turquoise, and I stopped to cool down in a rock pool – but I was nowhere near having the spiritual experience that Francesca suggested I’d have. Apart from being in a city on the right nodal path, I didn’t know how to please my star sign.
Atext came in from Francesca: Your moon is in Taurus – you should try a massage, good food and nature. So I feasted on Moreton Bay bugs (a type of local lobster) at Fish at the Rocks ( fishattherocks.com.au), treated myself to a massage at The Langham (langhamhotels.com) and stayed at zodiac-themed hotel The Ultimo (theultimo.com.au), where the bed sheets were soft enough for any pleasure-loving Taurean. On a whim, I booked a guided hike in the Blue Mountains. A couple of hours from Sydney by train, the mountain range is famous for its eucalyptus trees, sandstone rock formations, and the possibility of spotting koalas.
“I WASN’T CONVINCED about ASTROLOGY, BUT I was PREPARED TO try ANYTHING ”
As advised, I went for the nature, but within an hour, I’d befriended an Irish girl on the bus, and had been asked out by the tour guide. When we started the hike, I’d almost forgotten why I was there. But, on seeing the mountains, I felt humbled by their majesty.
Ibarely noticed the scorching heat on our three-hour hike because I was so focused on the vegetation. Mountain blue trees towered over me with their fragrant eucalyptus scent, sun orchids framed our path and water gum trees guided us to the temptation of hidden waterfalls.
I was still thinking about the tranquility of the Blue Mountains (and my date with the tour guide on Manly Beach) on the 13-hour overnight bus ride from Sydney to Byron Bay, where Francesca said I should write. I spent the first few days in cafes, dutifully scribbling, but I couldn’t help looking wistfully out at the eclectic Jonson Street, where tanned hippies played guitars and groups ate fish and chips at sunset. I felt lonely, and struggled to make friends.
Recalling Francesca’s advice that ‘neutrality’ and ‘flexibility’ were key words for me on the Gold Coast, I adapted. To meet more people, I moved to a hostel – Arts Factor y Lodge (hostelworld.com) – in the middle of a lush forest, where I got a private room for £35 a night, including free bushwalking tours and didgeridoo classes. I woke up at
5am for the group climb to Byron’s famous lighthouse for a sunrise view, and was was in awe of the dolphins leaping out of the sea. From there, I went to The Farm (thefarm.com.au, a community of businesses on a working farm) for a nature fix, and took a fellow traveller’s advice to go to the Byron Yoga Centre for AU$5 classes (byronyoga.com). I was working through my loneliness and, by the end of the week, I was enjoying my own company. Plus, I’d been doing so much yoga, I was considering taking a teaching course. Next stop: Cairns, 1,85Okm north, right on the Great Barrier Reef – a mecca for scuba divers. I’d never gone diving before. The thought of being deep underwater filled me with fear, so I texted Francesca for advice. She told me that, as it was on the ‘moon’s node’ (where the orbits of the moon and sun intersect), it was a ‘good place for me to trust in my abilities, my self-confidence would grow’, and I’d ‘meet people who would help me to promote my individuality’. So, 24 hours later, there I was: in a pool in Cairns, learning to dive. I’d signed up to a five-day open-water course with Pro Dive Cairns (prodivecairns.com), which meant spending two days learning the basics (and panicking about remembering it when I got to the ocean), and three days on a liveaboard boat, with 2O others from around the world. My first official dive into the Coral Sea was as terrifying as I expected, but my Italian instructor forced me to keep going, and I ended up diving alongside baby sharks and a 1OO-year-old turtle. The breathing coral and multicoloured fish were so hypnotic, my fear disappeared and, as predicted, my confidence grew. By day two, I was qualified to go on night dives, I’d befriended the group, and was giving everyone sunrise yoga classes on the top deck.
For my last week, I wasn’t stressed by the thought of not having a plan, which was unusual for me. I ignored the guidebooks and went back to the place where I’d felt the most connected: the Blue Mountains. By then. I was so aligned with the stars that I wasn’t surprised when I searched for a place to stay and a yoga retreat (Happy Buddha Retreats, happybuddharetreats.com.au) popped up.
It was the perfect end to my trip. In a large house in Wentworth Falls – one of the most beautiful towns in the Blue Mountains – surrounded by eucalyptus forests and waterfalls, I ended up having the spiritual experience that Francesca predicted. I took part in drumming sessions, talked about my astrological journey in a sharing circle of women of all ages and gained the confidence I needed to take action on my brand-new dream: signing up to do a yoga teaching course in India later in the year.
As I returned to Sydney, I realised that travelling according to my star sign led to me having completely different experiences to anything I could’ve planned. I never would have imagined myself diving (too scary), playing tribal drums (too cringe) or cycling miles to find a farm when there was a beach nearby. But those experiences were highlights of the trip, and I felt no regret for not seeing some of the country’s most famous sights.
My trip taught me to go with the flow, and, on my last day in Sydney, as I sunbathed topless at the women-only McIver’s Baths, I realised that I didn’t know if it was astrology or just my gut feelings that led to the creation of new connections and me pushing my boundaries to their limits. But it didn’t matter. Travelling based on my star sign really meant listening to myself. As I lay on a rock with the sound of waves crashing into the shore below, I promised myself that now I’ll always travel with my inner Taurean in mind.
“WATER GUM TREES GUIDED US to THE TEMPTATION of HIDDEN WATERFALLS ”
“I FELT no REGRET FOR NOT seeing SOME OF the COUNTRY’S MOST FAMOUS SIGHTS ”